1998 Alabama gubernatorial election
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The 1998 Alabama gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. The election saw incumbent Governor Fob James (R) face off against Lieutenant Governor Don Siegelman (D), resulting in Siegelman winning more than 57% of votes. This was the second of three consecutive Alabama gubernatorial elections where the incumbent was defeated. As of 2026, this was the last time that a Democrat was elected governor of Alabama, and the only time since 1982.
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November 3, 1998
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 County results Siegelman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% James: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on June 2 and saw no candidate secure over 50% of the vote, leading to a runoff between Fob James and Winton Blount on June 30. The period leading up to the runoff election was marked by numerous insults and accusations by both candidates against each other.[1] Incumbent Governor Fob James won the runoff 55% to 44%.
Candidates
- Winton Blount, businessman, candidate for Governor in 1994 and son of former U.S. Postmaster General Winton M. Blount
- Guy Hunt, former Governor
- Fob James, incumbent Governor
- Mac McAllister, businessman[2]
- Phil Williams Sr., former Director of the Alabama Department of Finance
Results
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 30–40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 163,711 | 47.96 | |
| Republican | Winton Blount | 139,941 | 40.99 | |
| Republican | Guy Hunt | 27,824 | 8.15 | |
| Republican | Mac McAllister | 5,641 | 1.65 | |
| Republican | Phil Williams | 4,258 | 1.25 | |
| Total votes | 341,375 | 100.00 | ||
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
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| Winton Blount | Fob James | |||||
| 1 | Jun. 25, 1998 | WVTM-TV | Fran Curry | C-SPAN | P | P |
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 253,965 | 55.92 | |
| Republican | Winton Blount | 200,200 | 44.08 | |
| Total votes | 454,165 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic primary
The Democratic primary took place on June 2 and saw Lieutenant Governor Don Siegelman easily chosen as the Democratic nominee over Birmingham attorney Lenora Pate and Wayne Sowell.
Candidates
- Lee Lamb
- Lenora Pate, attorney and former Director of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations[5]
- Don Siegelman, Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Don Siegelman | 254,507 | 78.26 | |
| Democratic | Lenora Pate | 53,618 | 16.49 | |
| Democratic | Wayne Sowell | 10,108 | 3.11 | |
| Democratic | Lee Lamb | 6,597 | 2.03 | |
| Total votes | 325,190 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Fob James (R) |
Don Siegelman (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Opinion Research[6] | October 29–31, 1998 | 490 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 45% | 53% | 12% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | October 29–31, 1998 | 490 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 45% | 53% | 12% |
| University of Southern Alabama[6][A] | October 26–29, 1998 | 820 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 36% | 52% | 12% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | October 24–26, 1998 | 808 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 43% | 49% | 8% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | October 10–12, 1998 | 807 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 43% | 48% | 9% |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham[6] | October 7–11, 1998 | 401 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 39% | 46% | 15% |
| USA Polling Group[6][B] | October 5–7, 1998 | 400 (A) | ± 5.0% | 40% | 52% | 8% |
| Southern Opinion Research[6] | October 1–2, 1998 | 501 (RV) | ± 5.0% | 39% | 52% | 9% |
| Southern Opinion Research[6] | September 3–4, 1998 | 500 (RV) | ± 4.4% | 44% | 48% | 8% |
| USA Polling Group[6][B] | September 1–3, 1998 | 405 (A) | ± 5.0% | 40% | 48% | 12% |
| Southern Opinion Research[6] | June 23–26, 1998 | 1,019 (RV) | ± 3.0% | 41% | 51% | 8% |
| Mason Dixon[6] | June 22–24, 1998 | 804 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 41% | 46% | 13% |
| USA Polling Group[6][B] | June 8–11, 1998 | 800 (A) | ± 3.5% | 35% | 36% | 29% |
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
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| Fob James | Don Siegelman | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 6, 1998 | Junior League of Birmingham | Malena Cunningham | C-SPAN | P | P |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Don Siegelman | 752,087 | 57.92 | +8.5 | |
| Republican | Fob James (incumbent) | 546,504 | 42.08 | −8.2 | |
| Total votes | 1,298,591 | 100.00 | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
- Partisan clients
- Poll sponsored by The Birmingham News, The Mobile Register, and The Huntsville Times
- Poll sponsored by The Mobile Register